Author's Note: I don't own the OC. All mistakes are mine, for which I apologize for in advance.
This is somewhat a filler chapter and sets the stage for the next update. I am nervous, more nervous about this one than I was the last after all of those great reviews I received. The pressure is on not to disappoint. LOL Thank you so much to those who have read Atonement! Your reviews were amazing and meant so much to me!! Ok now enough of my rambling…
Awakening
Taylor awoke with a smile on her face
Taylor awoke with a smile on her face. Before her eyes even opened her first waking thought was last night had to of been the best night of her life despite the fact that no sex had been involved. Taylor couldn't believe how last night had worked out; it couldn't have gone better had she actually schemed for those stolen moments with Ryan.
She opened her eyes and immediately focused her attention on the figure at the other end of the "L" shaped sofa. She was careful not to wake him as they had just fallen asleep right before dawn, almost four hours ago. She should have been tired but she rarely got more than four hours a night anyway, any more than that she found to be unproductive despite what all the medical journals argued to the contrary. She was feeling quite refreshed and exhilarated due to hours of talking to Ryan until he had finally fallen asleep. As if that hadn't been enough of a surprise, the true shocker would probably be the fact that he had done most of the talking, while she listened intently to everything he had to say. It was sometimes difficult but she exerted incredible self control and hadn't interrupted him once in her excitement. She waited patiently until he finished and more often than not his answers usually led to additional questions from her. She took the opportunity to ascertain the reality and fiction of Ryan Atwood by inquiring about every rumor that had ever been associated with him. To her complete astonishment he never got angry with her sometimes probing, personal questions. He had actually been very pleasant company and she tried just as hard to return the favor.
Watching the steady rise and fall of his chest as he breathed, she reflected on all she had learned about the guy who had secretly intrigued her from the moment he had first appeared at Harbor. Through their countless conversations she deduced that Ryan's reputation as a bad boy and trouble was mostly unfounded. Not that that would have been a problem for her, the bad boy image he had earned was really quite appealing. But realistically it seemed to her that most of the troubles he had endured were due to his hero complex and a deep desire to help his friends no matter the cost to himself. The more Taylor had discovered, the more fascinated she became with the guy she had spent the night with. Not wanting to spoil what she hoped was the start of a genuine friendship she had wisely kept her opinions to herself on one Marissa Cooper! It didn't take a genius for her to know that was the quickest and most effective way to alienate him, as he was very protective of Marissa. Taylor wasn't one to normally keep her mouth shut; in fact she had a terrible habit of speaking her thoughts before assessing how much damage control she would have to do to amend her missteps afterwards. The motivation to keep Ryan talking was the only thing that prevented her from sharing all the thoughts she had on that girl! Taylor had never been a fan of the girl, mostly because she had spent her life being completely jealous of her and all that she seemed to have going for her. Throughout the years when Veronica was at her most vicious, Taylor would find herself being compared to Marissa, listening to an infinite list outlining all of Taylor's shortcomings and her mother would always conclude the lecture by wondering why her daughter couldn't be more like Marissa Cooper. But after hearing the bits and pieces of what Marissa had put Ryan though, it was enough for Taylor to develop an extreme dislike for her and a grateful attitude that she wasn't anything like her, at least she hoped not. In her opinion Marissa was a spoiled, selfish, self-involved, supremely ungrateful girl who was largely responsible for all of the crazy situations Ryan found himself in. She knew without a doubt he wouldn't share her perception of things however that didn't make it any less true either. If she gave it too much thought it would make her absolutely furious because she was certain Marissa didn't appreciate Ryan's compassion or his loyalty; quite the opposite, as she had her suspicions that Marissa wasn't above taking advantage of those same wonderful qualities and expected Ryan to always be there to save her. Taylor wished she didn't envy Marissa so much for the fact that she had someone so caring and steadfast in her life. Some would call Marissa a troubled young girl but Taylor decided she was just a complete idiot! She realized most would not agree with her assessment, they would probably even call her a total bitch for harboring such a harsh attitude toward Harbor's Reigning Drama Queen but Taylor found it impossible to empathize with someone who thought so much about herself first, who never learned from her own mistakes and depended on everyone else's generosity to rescue her from the messy situations she constantly created. The girl really needed to start growing up and take accountability for her own actions. Taylor sighed against the frustration building inside of her, forgetting momentarily that she wasn't alone in the room. She didn't bother to hide the fact that she observed Ryan as he slowly left behind the state of slumber.
Ryan awoke to the feel of sunshine on his face; the angle of where it warmed his skin reminded him he was not in his comfortable bed that resided in the Cohen's pool house. He was waking up on the sofa of one Taylor Townsend, or more accurately, Veronica Townsend. His first waking thought was last night had to of been one of the most bizarre nights in all his life.
"Good Morning, Ryan!" Taylor greeted in a very chipper voice.
Ryan barely held back a wince as he opened his eyes and mumbled "good morning," before briefly wondering if someone could really be so cheerful without the aid of a caffeine fix first thing in the morning. He supposed if anyone could accomplish that feat, it would be the girl laying down at the other end of the couch.
"I sent Seth a text message after you fell asleep and he assured me he would cover for you with the 'rents."
"Thank you, I didn't think of that." He admitted.
"You're welcome." She smiled pleased he appreciated her efforts in planning ahead. "He said to call him when you are on the way home and he would fill you in on your cover story."
Ryan nodded knowing it wasn't going to be that easy. Seth was going to require all the details of his night and he was going to have to suffer through countless hours of teasing by the boy who couldn't seem to comprehend the concept of trying ones patience. This would go on until Ryan would eventually be forced to threaten Seth with bodily harm before he would actually shut the hell up. After which Seth would go off and sulk somewhere causing Ryan to wrestle with his conscious about having been so mean when Seth had covered for him verses the truth that Seth didn't know when to quit and not go completely overboard with a subject. Yeah, this was going to be such a fun day, he thought sullenly.
"Would you like some coffee?"
"Please." He could deal with the days upcoming events so long as he had his caffeine fix.
Taylor smiled and replied, "I will be right back." She threw back the red blanket and revealed that at some point during the night she had removed her sweatshirt because now she only wore a thin black low cut lacey tank top which clung to her skin although one of the straps was currently falling down one slender shoulder allowing the curve of her left breast to tease his sleep deprived eyes and stir his body awake. When Taylor adjusted the strap in place Ryan had a hard, err, difficult time determining if he was relieved or disappointed. To his surprise Taylor stood up to reveal the sweatshirt hadn't been the only article of clothing she had removed in the night. Rather than her jeans she wore a pair of matching lace boy shorts that complimented the tank top and more importantly her very sexy ass, which he was currently starring attentively at as she walked away completely unself-conscious about her attire.
He was immediately grateful once she was out of sight because it granted him some time to get his body back under control. He was pretty damn sure he wouldn't be getting the image of Taylor with her hair sexily mused from sleep and wearing some pretty awesome lingerie out of his mind anytime soon. It was a good thing she had taken her clothes off after he had fallen asleep because who knows how the night would of gone had she done that earlier. He couldn't believe the directions of his thoughts either. Admittedly Taylor was a pretty girl with an amazing body as he just discovered but he had never considered her in quite that way. Then again he couldn't recall ever spending more than ten minutes in her presence before. After spending several hours in her company he had a new awareness of her, apparently in more ways than one it seemed. However he was going to do his best to ignore that and focus on what he had learned about Taylor.
He recalled Seth mentioning to him once that Taylor really wasn't so bad and then he had gone into an explanation of how he had witnessed an intense scene between Taylor and the vicious Veronica Townsend, who had been a complete bitch to her only daughter. In one of Seth's rare moments of astute observations, he explained that Taylor could do nothing right in her mother's eyes and was criticized for her appearance and her lack of friends. Taylor's non-response to her mother's tirade led Seth to believe it hadn't been the first time she had heard that speech, nor would it be the last. Seth was terrified of the woman and doubted she possessed a maternal bone in her body, which meant Taylor suffered the most. Ryan had felt some compassion for Taylor upon hearing the story but honestly hadn't given it much thought afterwards. Until now that is.
Ryan's association with Taylor for the past three years he had attended Harbor had been limited at best. Honestly that was how he had preferred it given his initial impressions of her. They had shared several classes over the years where he had noticed her as an attractive but annoying know-it-all, who always knew the answer to each question every teacher asked. She never had a problem drawing attention to herself by raising her hand, causing eyes to roll as she called out the answers, smiling victoriously as the teachers praised her correct responses. Behavior he had once found to be obnoxious and irritating, he now understood to be an obvious effort to gain acceptance and acclamation from faculty and peers since she couldn't get that from her bitch of a mother.
After talking with Taylor last night about her mom being so driven and career oriented, how her father had left them both when she was seven and since hadn't been any real presence in her life after that because he was too busy with his new family in San Diego, Ryan had a new found appreciation for Taylor Townsend. He could forgive her role in trying to make his life difficult at the beginning of their senior year. He was furious that the dirty dean of discipline had exploited such a vulnerable girl's need for affection and used it to his own twisted advantage. That wasn't to say that Taylor was completely blameless but he could recognize why she had been so willing to act as she had. However she had helped him get back into school by confessing to everything, even if she had been outmaneuvered by Seth and Summer. Knowing what he knew now he could admire Taylor for the way she had stood up against her mother to right the wrong against Marissa, as she campaigned so diligently to get Marissa reinstated back at Harbor for the last semester of their senior year. Ryan imagined that had only made living with Veronica even more horrendous.
Discovering all of this made it complicated for him not to feel compassion and sympathy for her situation. It was extremely hard to deal with life when you didn't have the support of your own family. He had plenty of experience to attest to that. One often made bad choices; his own past was evidence of that. His luck took a huge turn when the Cohen's found him and took him in. That isn't to say that they made it all better, but his new family made it easier to accept the mistakes he did make because they were always there to support him and build him back up. It didn't seem like Taylor had anyone to fulfill that vital role. But in the past few months it seemed like she had come a long way and that he could totally respect. He understood how difficult it was to change. She was beginning to let people in, Seth, Summer and now even himself, which was still a genuine surprise, but he found himself wishing that her new friendships went toward filling the huge void of loneliness in her life. He tried not to question the ease with which she had allowed him in to her life, nor did he try to think about how much he had revealed to her unintentionally. While he was aware of how energetic Taylor was, she also possessed a quiet intensity that he seemed to recognize and was able to communicate with her on a level he shared with few others.
Realizing that he wasn't going to solve the enigma of the girl who was currently invading his mind, he sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes, just in time to see her approaching with two steaming coffee cups. He noticed she was wearing a robe, if one could call it that considering how short it was and how well it showcased her beautifully tanned legs.
He accepted the mug gratefully with his trademark half smirk and murmured a "thanks," before taking the first sip.
He barely heard her reply of "you're welcome," as the hit of caffeine settled into his system.
Taylor made herself comfortable next to Ryan on the couch, managing to wait all of fifteen seconds before inquiring anxiously, "is it okay?"
"It's perfect." He took another savoring sip to emphasize his statement. "I can't decide which is better, your coffee or hot chocolate."
Taylor smiled at his encouraging words. "Good to know if all else fails I could always open up my own coffee shop."
"I would certainly be a regular." He joked.
His gentle teasing coerced another smile from her lips. "How did you sleep? Well what little you managed, in any case?"
"Fine, how about you?"
"I slept great! Are you hungry? My kitchen skills are rather limited but I would be happy to cook you some breakfast. I can do eggs; it's pretty hard to screw up eggs."
"I am good, but thanks. I really should check in at home before I go fix your car."
"You don't have to go to all that trouble Ryan. I can call my mother's mechanic to take care of it."
"It's no trouble. I would actually enjoy working on it. I used to work on cars all the time in Chino but the Cohen's won't even let me change the oil now. I miss it." He confessed.
"Really? Because I don't want you to feel obligated or anything. It isn't your responsibility to be fixing my car."
"I know that and I don't feel obligated." He reassured her.
She stared at him searching for something on his face to contradict his words before finally asking hesitantly "if you are sure?"
Ryan nodded his head and said "I am."
Taylor fought to keep the tears of gratitude from her eyes. She was very touched by his willingness to help her. "Okay, thank you," she replied softly.
"You're welcome."
"May I ask you for another favor?"
"What is that?"
"Would you mind terribly if I tagged along?" She could see her request surprised him and pressed forward before he could deny her. "Maybe you could give me a lesson, perhaps teach me how to change my oil. It seems only logical that I should learn such a practical skill. You never know when such knowledge could come in handy. You could be the first to further my education."
Ryan barely resisted the urge to shake his head in disbelief. She was a strange girl, especially for someone who grew up in Newport. He had the impression that she was a total girl, not someone the least bit interested in tainting her lovely, delicate hands with motor grease, yet here she was asking him to give her an automotive lesson.
He could see the hope in her eyes and he didn't have the heart to tell her no. "I will be back in two hours."
"Okay! Great! See you then."
He nodded his head in acknowledgement of her words before he started out of the room.
Taylor followed his retreating back as he began to leave the room and clapped her hands together exclaiming "YAY!" quietly.
Or maybe not so quietly because Ryan suddenly turned around and caught Taylor smiling with her hands pressed together beneath her chin striving for a semblance of normalcy. Ryan shot her a reluctant smile with the word strange once again echoing through his mind as he proceeded to leave.
Taylor waited until he was completely out of sight before she shook her head. Then she quickly realized she only had an hour and fifty-eight minutes left before she saw him again. She rushed up the stairs to her room in awe that she was going to be spending the afternoon with Ryan Atwood.
TBC...
Author's Note 2: I am hoping to include some parts of their actual conversations from the night in future chapters as flashbacks. It just didn't fit into this update. I hope you don't mind or weren't disappointed with the lack of dialogue. Thanks for reading and if you feel like it, please share your thoughts...good or bad. I would love to hear from you.
